Is Kirby More Popular In Japan?

There are certain franchises in the Nintendo roster that have many more games that the others. Mario is obviously at the top via all his spinoffs, and Pokemon is up there too. But you might be surprised to hear that Kirby is also among the top franchises game release wise. That’s right, between handhelds and console games, Kirby has had a lot of games, but in light of recent reveals, some fans are wondering if Kirby is more popular in Japan than he is in the US.

“It seems like there’s a disproportionate amount of Kirby games compared to how well they sell. Is Kirby closer to Mario level sales in Japan?

This is a fascinating question, and one that delves into what makes both the US and Japan unique in how they view games, as well as their offshoots. Kirby had a hit show in both Japan and America called “Kirby Right Back At Ya!” which is arguably the most successful Nintendo property show of all time. And since it’s technically an anime, that makes it something that the Japanese culture would eat up.

That’s not to say that Kirby isn’t popular in the US though, there have been many titles from the franchise that have crossed over, including the anime. Not to mention the fact that a new Kirby title was announced for the Nintendo Switch. And another title is coming to the 3DS, with another likely coming in 2018 if rumors are to be believed. This puffball has a lot going for it. Plus, as Redditors noted, he’s in the spotlight this year as it’s his 25th anniversary.

So, is there a small gap in popularity between the US and Japan? Probably, but that doesn’t mean we don’t love him any less than they do.